Theory of Impact

      There has been so much information this semester in this class, all of which I found very interesting but very condense.  I feel like I missed out with not having time for all of the readings because it was all very informative and it brought up issues for me that I never even considered.  It quenched my thirst for knowledge and I really loved our class discussions.  I think this class should be split into two sections to ensure the students have time to absorb all of the material, and have time to philosophize on all of the inportant issues that were brought to the table.  Iknow that would've helped me a lot because it was all too compressed.
          When I first decided I wanted to be a teacher, the reasons were numerous.  Of course I love children and I love to teach.  That aside, the 6.5 hr workdays, 4 months off a year, having a schedule that coincided with my soon to be Kindergardener's schedule made it a slam dunk decision.  People say teachers don't get paid a lot.  I plan on getting my Master's and that salary is nearly equivalent to a $40/hr paying job.  I've had a lot of crap jobs, too many to remember in fact, and I actuallly think teacher get paid pretty well considering we have off 4 months off a year!!!  I never even thought of the social impact I would have, truthfully didn't even know that was an issue.  So I think my main reasons for teaching were mostly about me and what fits my family's needs. I even considered working for private schools so that my son could attend at a greatly reduced tuition rate.  We are moving out of the south valley next year when he starts kindergarden so he can attend better public schools than the south valley has to offer.
         As far as social change?  I don't see that happening on a national level.  The issues surrounding this educational system of ours is so big in this country, so big that it overwhelms me.  Honestly, I don't think I can make one bit of difference on a national level.  I don't say this out of a defeatist attitude but more out of modesty.  I bow my head to the system.  I will do my best on a local level, even if that means just one student within my community.  I will strive to make a difference at the local level but I feel like such a hippocrite because I will teach for the public schools but I really wish my son didn't have to atend one.  So as far as social change is concerned, I will do my best at the local level but I don't see that impacting at the national level.  Although I will be honest, in the back of my mind I have this fantasy of being a hard working public school teacher who has made such an impact on the local level that it does get recognized at the national level.  That maybe, just maybe, I can make a difference at the national level. 
         The main goals for the children I teach is that they all leave my classroom at the end of the year with a feeling that someone cared for them and believed in them.  That they might walk out of my room with more self-esteem and confidence, then they walked in with.  I want them to know that someone cared about them and their well being. I want my impact to be that they can move on into the world as critical thinkers.  They can apply what was taught to them and apply it to real life situations.  They will be ableto think for themselves and not just follow rules or orders because someone told them to.  I want them to question the world around them, question answers if they don't think it's the corret one.  I want them to never be afraid to express their individuality, to be who they are and embrace their life, their world and realize the impact THEY make in their community and on society.  I want them to love to learn, be excited about the institution of schooling, to feel that they 'get' to go to school, not that they 'have' to go to school.  I want my impact to be that they can be individuals, and that their uniqueness is what is going to impact their world, their future. 
        I DO want to make a difference.  I love knowing that I had an impact on a child's life because I rememeber how vital, how lifesaving, it was was for me when a teacher I admired and looked up to made an impact on my life. 

Following a blog!

I have to say this was one of the most frustrating assignments yet.  Sorry to be a killjoy but I DO NOT get the purpose of blogging.  I finally found a site after looking at more than 20.  It is http://ourjourneythroughsecondgrade.blogspot.com/  I was searching for second grade teacher's blogs since that's what I want to teach.  Was I looking for something I wasn't supposed to find?  Was I expecting too much?  Every site I went to was blurbs on people's ideas of what works.  Most of the sites I visited were blog groups, so I couldn't follow any one person.  I had a hard time finding dates to see if the info was current and I had no way to know if they had any followers because I didn't see any.  So does that mean they don't?  I don't know and I feel so confused. One of the sites had the second grade teacher, teaching how to use smart boards to adults.  I don't get it!!!  Either I missed the point of the assignment or I just really don't get blogging. I didn't find any useful information.  In fact it was useless tidbits that I wouldn't have spent over an hour on the internet trying to find had it not been for this assignment.  I was not able to answer Catron's questions because I found nothing useful.  I googled second grade teaching blogs.  That was my search.  It yielded many sites that I found to be dead-ends.  So can you help me ladies?  I'm either completely lost or I'm okay with knowing blogging isn't something I will pursue.  I feel like I'm missing something here.  HELP!

ooops!

It seems the layout of my paper shifted when I copied it to my blog.  I hope it's readable.

POE 1st draft

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION                                                                                       2

Children are fascinating and I have enjoyed working with them throughout the years.

Throughout college and graduate school I was a private violin instructor and my desire to teach

in the classroom began with these students.  There was a seven year period where I didn’t teach

at all and having my son, four years ago, has rekindled my passion to teach.  He attends

preschool and working with the staff and teachers at his school has been an enriching experience. 

What these teachers do every day is admirable and witnessing their achievements has inspired

me to be as influential in the lives of other children.  I started working with middle school age

children last year with Albuquerque Public Schools (APS).  I worked with a self-contained class

of 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grade, emotionally disturbed (ED) children which proved to be very challenging

and very rewarding.   The main discussed in this paper is my Philosophy of education (POE) and

what shapes it.  I will be discussing the themes in my educational background; my beliefs, values

and experiences as well as what philosophies will guide my practice in becoming the teacher I

want to be.

The most common theme that comes to mind is my parent’s involvement in my

education.  Both had only graduated from high school but my siblings and I were always

encouraged to get the most we could out of life, to never miss an opportunity when it came

knocking at our door and to go to college.   Although I came from a poor family and lived in a

poor town, I achieved success in school and graduated from college because of my parents

encouragement.  My Dad comes to mind more than my Mom when it came to supporting my

educational efforts but that's not saying my Mom wasn't involved.  I remember my Dad teaching

me how to study for Science and Social Studies tests in grade school as these were two of the

subjects I struggled with.  He taught me how to study and he would quiz me the night before my

test.  He was also the person we didn't want to see if we had gotten in trouble at school.  Since

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION                                                                                       3

his work schedule had more flexibility, it was he who would attend most parent teacher

meetings.  He made it very clear that we were to respect our teachers and if we received calls

home for bad behavior there would be some pretty severe consequences.  This taught me to be a

well behaved, respectful student.  Another theme that comes to mind is how my educational

success was directly related to how much effort I put into it.  I know this seems like common

knowledge but I remember being amazed that every time I studied I would get an A and if I

didn't it would be a B or C.  This was only because I didn't have the self-esteem to even see my

potential.  My favorite teacher in the entire world was my Orchestra teacher in middle school,

who later became my private violin instructor, colleague and today, one of my closest friends. 

She was so encouraging and easy to get along with and really knew how to connect with each of

her students.  Her POE was that every child was capable of learning and I don't know if I

would've become a violinist had it not been for her. Every child that studied an instrument with

her learned how to play that instrument.  Her encouragement carried me through middle and high

school and I went on to study violin in college. 

I grew up in a town on Long Island, NY that had a very large population of ethnic,

linguistic and low SES diversity.  When most people hear I came from Long Island they assumed

I came from wealth, as most of LI is extremely wealthy. I always felt uncomfortable when

people found out where I came from and I always felt I owed an explanation because I actually

came from a lower economic family.  I had to grow up very fast, by the age of 7 my brothers and

I were latch key kids.  Although my parents were involved in my education and taught me the

value of being college educated, they were never home because they had to work.  It was up to

me to decide how well I wanted to do in school.  I hardly ever studied, held a B average and

poured myself into the violin.  I always stayed after school to get extra lessons.  I didn't come

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION                                                                                       4

from a privileged family and growing up, I often judged those who had more (money) than we

did. My life growing up was difficult.  I was taught that if I wanted anything I’d have to work

hard to get it.  I was taught very early on that things weren’t going to just be handed to me.  Each

night my family sat down together for dinner.  I think this is what gave me the sense that we had

a family unit because we never had the chance to connect during the day.  I remember my Father

teaching us to appreciate all of the things we had in life.  Especially the small stuff.  That if we

all worked hard, we could have any life we wanted to have for ourselves.  Instead of teaching us

to dislike those who had more, he taught us to appreciate more of what we had. He always taught

us that there were families who had less than us and to be grateful for everything we did have.  It

wasn't until my 20's that I could understand what he was teaching me.  But once I moved out on

my own, I understood.  

The main idea of my Philosophy of Education is that every child, no matter their cultural,

linguistic or Socioeconomic background, is entitled to an equal educational opportunity in the

public school system.  I certainly don't base my philosophy on Charles W. Eliot's idea of EEO

and social efficiency, but that every child whether they're attending Rio Grande HS receives the

same educational opportunity as a student attending La Cueva HS.  I like the idea of working

with children from low SES backgrounds because I believe they deserve as much of a chance as

a student from an upper economic class background.  The group of middle school I taught this

past year came mostly from single parent, low economic families.  They were a tough bunch of

kids and it certainly put into perspective the fact that I had it pretty bad as a kid, but not nearly as

bad as a lot of other children.  These children struggled to have their basic survival needs met. 

They were labeled (ED) so the system already had a bias in place surrounding them.  On a

regular basis I witnessed administration and staff not seeing these kids as credible because of the

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION                                                                                       5

classroom they were put in.  In a sense, the system had already given up on them. I witnessed

that the teacher already had.  I felt I could relate to these children because they too had

dysfunctional home life.  I could never sympathize but I could empathize with them and I

wanted to create a safe, trusting environment for them at school.  For most of them, that's the

only place they had in their lives that provided them with a sense of safety and security and I

remembered needing that when I was in middle school.  I remembered the nurturing my violin

teacher gave me.  Her classroom was my safety zone after school.  I wanted to foster that

environment in my classroom as well.   I don’t know if I will be teaching an (ED) class next year

but I will be teaching special ed.  I have a special place in my heart for children with special

needs.

             I’ve learned a lot about what it means to be a teacher through being a Mom.  I want the

best possible education for my son and I’m sure most other Moms feel that way about their

children.  Whenever I look at a student I think, this is someone’s child.  How would I want my

child to be treated?  Should a child be treated better based on the color of their skin or how much

money their family has?  Should a child be treated better because they have parents who are

more involved than others?  Should a child be treated better or worse depending on the teachers

personal view of that child?  It saddens me that there are so many children who are prejudiced

against because of these factors and in my core I know this is wrong.  Every child, no matter

what, deserves an EEO.  No matter what!  I have had experiences where I was in the classroom

being forced to handle behavior management more than effective teaching practice.  Where I lost

my patience, where I could’ve been more sensitive to a child’s needs.  The list goes on.  I’m

human and I’ve made mistakes and it’s unrealistic to think these things will never happen.  But at

the end of the rough days well as the good days, I’ve gone home and done critically reflective

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION                                                                                       6

practice to see where I went wrong and what I could’ve done better next time.  There were times

when I apologized to a student for losing my patience and asked them how the situation could’ve

been handled better the next time.  I allowed them to help me find a reasonable solution in

certain circumstances to aid them in feeling like they were part of the solution; make them feel

like they had a choice.  Respect is one of my core values.  I believe students have value and

importance and they deserve to be heard.  I believe if I model respectful behavior, they will also

be respectful.  I’m sure I will get some children who will have a hard time showing respect, but

if I plant the seed of what it looks like, I’m hopeful that it will eventually be transferred. 

            I’ve been thinking about my core values and how that will look in my class.  A couple

more of my core values that come to mind are parental involvement and integrity. I firmly

believe that as an educator I can foster success in my classroom but I will not be as successful at

doing so if I don't have parental support.  One of the things I value most is parental involvement. 

Had it not been for my parents’ support, I highly doubt I would’ve made it to college and

graduate school.  I've been thinking of ways to involve parents and some of that looks like

creating an environment at the school where they feel welcomed.  So how am I going to foster a

welcoming environment for parents whose ethnicity and culture differs from modern day

society’s?  How will I bridge the gap between parents and the school?  For one thing, I believe it

is essential to have parents feel like they are part of the school community.  In doing so I can

respect and recognize the family’s culture and beliefs e.g. saying hello and good-bye in their

native language.  I’ve learned how important it is to have consistent, casual contact with them. 

This could be done over the phone or when the parent drops their child off at school.  I realize

from experience that it’s helpful to contact the parent when their child has good behavior as well,

that way it’s not always a ‘bad news’ call home.  In providing communication with parents in

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION                                                                                       7

many forms I can provide interpreters to provide a welcoming environment when they arrive to

my classroom.  I believe if I keep the lines of communication open it will, hopefully, foster a link 

between the parents and the school. 

             I will uphold my integrity by making the rules of the class very clear, treating all of

my students equally and not allowing for my personal beliefs to shadow my interactions with

parents, school personnel or students.  I will accomplish this through regular critical self-

reflective practice.

            The main role, I would say, that education should play in our society is to evolve as a

society and culture.  Generally speaking, the more educated a society the more a society benefits.

Education helps us to build a better community.  Because we have built upon the knowledge of

people before us we have advanced in almost all areas of knowledge and that is because our

society as a whole continues to educate themselves.  There are thousands of neighborhoods in the

United States, almost every American town or city has one, where graduation rates have

declined, poverty is abundant and the crime rate is high.  I don't believe that every person who

has been uneducated is going to become a criminal, nor do I believe that educated people are

exempt from a life of crime.  What I am saying is that the majority of well educated people do

not end up in a life of crime and poverty.  So, I believe the main role of education is to advance

as a society and better ourselves and build upon the previous generations' knowledge.  You can

see how my beliefs align with the societal function of education and my values line up pretty

closely to that as well.  I am one of the first in my family to have received a college education.  I

valued education because it was instilled in me at a very early age that I could grow up to be

anything I wanted to be as long as I received a college education.  I believed my parents when

they told me this and so far they haven't been wrong.  Every career path I've taken since

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION                                                                                       8

receiving my BFA has been possible because I had a college degree. Since I value education, I

saw it play a vital role in my life, I believe it is also vital for the foundation we lay for future

generations.  The role of the schools would be to give each child a well-rounded education where

they can think for themselves and to not have just have learned material to pass a standardized

test.  I've talked a lot about the societal aspect of education and now I'd like to discuss the

individual aspects.  My role as a teacher in this system will be to teach to the highest standard

so that each child can and will have the right and opportunity to achieve their dreams, goals and

aspirations.  The role of the student will be to become effective learners.  That is, being able to

think critically and take the knowledge received in the classroom and be able to apply it to ‘real

life’ situations.  For example, not just being able to perform math skills such as adding,

subtracting, multiplication, etc. but to be able to balance a checkbook and keep a ledger.

My philosophy incorporates students from all cultures because I believe every child is

capable of learning as long as it is done in a nurturing and loving environment.  My experience

last year showed a teacher who was basically training the student’s for the working class,

teaching them to follow directions without any questions.  It very much resembled Jean Anyon’s

‘working-class’ school structure. My philosophy believes in teaching children to think critically. 

To take the information they learn in school and apply it to social progress, lining very closely to

John Dewey’s beliefs about education and constructivist theory.  Dewey believed, schools would

respond to social problems by equipping students to become adults who could solve social

problems for themselves (Tozer, Senese, and Violas, 2009, p. 153).

            Every child deserves an EEO no matter their cognitive abilities and it is my job to make

sure that happens for all children.  An equal educational opportunity, to me, means that each

child is receiving the same, well-rounded education and each child, upon graduation, will be

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION                                                                                       9

equipped and able to decide if they want to go to work or on to higher education.  I believe it is

each child's right to have an equal education.  My goal is to give each of my students a well

rounded education where they can think critically.  By well-rounded I mean well versed in all

topics such as, math, science, social sciences, art, music, language arts and anything else that can

be offered to them.  I want my students to be able to think for themselves.  I don't want them to

learn by rote or to learn because I gave them the correct answers.  I'm going to encourage them to

participate in small class discussions, I will teach to their needs.  I may have a group of kids who

are tactile learners and set up a project that will teach to their style, whereas another group may

need more of a legislative approach to a project, thought or idea.  There are many types of styles

of learning and I know I will not be able to meet each child's style every minute of every day, but

through reflective practice I will be able to coordinate different projects, goals or activities that

touch on the different styles over the course of a term or a school year. I don't yet know the

details of these activities, but I'm leaning in the direction of making learning fun and interesting.  

My goal is to get my students excited about learning.  The children I worked with this year were

never given the opportunity to think critically. Every day, every lesson was read to them and they

were told to do the work at the end of the chapters.  If they needed help, nothing was EVER

explained to them and the answer would be provided.  I mention my experience because it taught

me a lot of what doesn't line up with my approach and philosophy of teaching.  It was sad

because there were times I would be left to teach the class and I would ask them questions to get

them thinking and I actually had a student say "Miss, Mister doesn't ask us these questions and

we don't want to think about them.  Just read the chapter and give us the answers."  The children

who had been in that class for 2 and 3 years refused to learn.  So I can justify my goals and

methods by seeing another approach that I feel, doesn't work.  What I always appreciated and

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION                                                                                       10

found fun about learning was when my teachers encouraged classroom participation.         

       In teaching children from different socioeconomic, multicultural backgrounds I believe that

every child is capable of learning.  I have a couple of ideas of what style to approach if I have

children who are at different academic levels.   I may divide the coursework until I have them all

at the same level.  I may give the advanced kids more difficult material while I am working with

the less advanced children.  That would keep everyone engaged while I bring the less advanced

children to a higher academic level.  Another approach I may take is to have class projects split

into different groups where the advanced and less advanced are working with each other.  I often

find peer based learning to be effective for students, especially those at different cognitive levels. 

            This is my philosophy of education as it stands today.  In a nutshell, giving all children an

equal educational opportunity and teaching my students so they can apply what they learn in the

classroom to other facets of  life.  I know my philosophy will change as time goes on.  My 

knowledge of what it means to be a teacher will change as my perceptions shift with what it

means to teach.  

PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION                                                                                       11

                                                            References

Tozer, S. E., Senese, G., & Violas, P. C. (2009).  School and Society.  Historical and

Contemporary Perspectives (6^th ed.).  New York, NY:  McGraw-Hill,

POE Outline

I.  Why do I want to be an educator?
          -Themes in my educational experience
          -How does my background affect how I teach?
II.   What am I educating for?
          -What is the purpose of education?
          -All children are capable of learning.
          -How will I teach so all children can learn?
III.  An equal educational opportunity.
          -Fostering success in the classroom for all children
          -recognizing that all races aren't priviledged
IV.  Conclusion or annything else that comes to mind while I'm writing.

Philog #5 Priviledge and Power

This week's topic of privilege and power made a huge impact on me.  I thoroughly enjoyed the article "White Privilege, Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack." It raised issues for me that I had never thought of or even imagined.  Maybe I'm a bit naive but I never thought of the white race as being a privileged race,  I thought we had evolved as a society, mainly because I am not racist, and being in the 21st century I assumed society viewed all races as equal for the most part.  Sure, I knew there must still be isolated incidents of racism but in society at large I thought we had come further than the article suggested.  When I first read the article my cognitive dissonance was invoked, big time.  I felt offended.  I have never been racist. I grew up in one of the biggest cultural melting pots of the world, and now I was being blamed for my color?  I was being blamed just for being born white?  I was mad.  Then I realized that I was experiencing cognitive dissonance and I really had to look at if what the article was saying was true.  After the discussion in class I realized that I may not be a racist but if I'm not fighting racism, if I sit idly by living in my privileged world, am I truly standing up for what I believe in?  That was a hard question to face. 
       So how will this affect the multicultural perspectives I bring to the classroom?  Before I started the ATL program I didn't even realize that this was something to think about.  All of our classroom discussions and readings have opened up my mind to a lot of social issues. I know I will definitely be a lot more sensitive to my students cultural background.  Instead of seeing all of the kids as just students who are at school to learn I will try to the best of my ability to understand their multicultural backgrounds. I'm still learning how I will implement this but I think just having the awareness will help because it will allow me to seek out ways to be a more effective teacher. 
      As far as who I want to teach?  I'm afraid to answer that for how I might be judged but here it is.  Teaching is hard enough right?  So why would I want to throw myself into a low SES multicultural school setting and make my job that much harder?  Isn't it easier to help privileged kids? I don't have the answer to that. I like the idea of helping children who are less fortunate.  I have a lot to offer and I'd like to be able to help them but sometimes I'm left wondering if helping the privileged children would be easier?  Would there be more parental involvement?  More motivation?  I don't know and I think I will get the answer to these questions only through experience.  I believe in equality and I believe all children have the right to an equal education opportunity. 

History of Education

I grew up in a town on Long Island, NY that had a very large population of ethnic, linguistic and low SES diversity.  When most people hear I came from Long Island they assumed I came from wealth, as most of LI is extremely wealthy. I always felt uncomfortable when people found out where I came from and I always felt I owed an explanation.  That I needed to defend my background.  They would tell me "Oh you're from L.I., you must be a spoiled Daddy's girl."  I hated it when they would say that because I actually came from a lower class dysfunctional family.  I had to grow up very fast, by the age of 7 my brothers and I were latch key kids.  Although my parents were involved in my education and taught me the value of being college educated, they were never home because they had to work.  So it was up to me to decide how well I wanted to do in school.  I touched a little on this in my first blog.  How my home environment didn't foster a productive environment for homework while I was in middle school, therefore I hardly ever studied, held a B- average and poured myself into the violin.  I always stayed after school to get extra lessons.  I didn't come from a privileged family and growing up, I often judged those who had more (money) than we did.  My life growing up was hard.  I felt cheated.  I was in a youth orchestra in a part of L.I. that had extreme wealth.  I felt different.  I never felt a part of the orchestral community because I felt like I didn't fit in.  My Mom would drive me home each week from rehearsals and I remember feeling like I was leaving the life I wanted to have behind.  I so wished our family was like theirs. 
          Each night my family sat down together for dinner.  I think this is what kept us as a family, if that makes any sense.  Really all we had was our nightly dinners together.  I remember my Father teaching us to appreciate all of the things in life.  Especially the small stuff.  That if we all worked hard, we could have any life we wanted to have for ourselves.  Instead of teaching us to dislike those who had more, he taught us to appreciate more of what we had. He always taught us that there were family's who had less than us and to be grateful for everything we did have.  It wasn't until my 20's that I could understand what he was teaching me.  But once I moved out on my own, I understood. 
         The main idea of my Philosophy of Education is that every child, no matter their cultural, linguistic or Socioeconomic background, is entitled to an equal educational opportunity in the public school system.  I certainly don't base my philosophy on Charles W. Eliot's idea of EEO and social efficiency, but that every child whether they're attending Rio Grande HS receives the same educational opportunity as a student attending La Cueva.  I like the idea of working with children from low SES backgrounds because I believe they deserve as much of a chance as a student from an upper economic class background.  I taught for a group of middle school kids this past year who came from single parent, low economic families.  They were a tough bunch of kids and it certainly put into perspective the fact that I had it pretty bad as a kid, but not nearly as bad as a lot of other children.  I felt I could relate to these children because they also had dysfunctional families and I wanted to create a safe, trusting environment for them at school.  For most of them, that's the only place they had in their lives that had consistency and I remembered that feeling. 
          I never really thought about my core values and I'm sure I will add more to the list as I move forward in my career.  A few of the cores that come to mind are parental involvement, respect and integrity. I firmly believe that as an educator I can foster success in my classroom but I will not be as successful at doing so if I don't have parental support.  I've been thinking of ways to involve parents and some of that looks like creating an environment at the school where they feel welcomed.  I would also like to call home to parents when student's are showing progress and good behavior just to keep the lines of communication open and to hopefully foster a link between the parents and the school. 
I will create a respectful atmosphere n my classroom by respecting each of my students.  I believe if I model respectful behavior they will also be respectful.  I'm sure I will get some children who will have a hard time showing respect but if I plant the seed of what it looks like I'm hopeful that it will eventually be transferred. I want to uphold my integrity by making the rules of the class very clear, treating all of my students equally and not allowing for my personal beliefs to shadow my interactions with parents, school personnel or students.  I will accomplish this through regular critically self reflective practice.
      

An equal educational opportunity

An equal educational opportunity, to me, means that each child is receiving the same, well-rounded education and each child, upon graduation, will be equipped and able to decide if they want to go to work or on to higher education.  I believe it is each child's right to have an equal education.  My goal is to give each of my students a well rounded education where they can think critically.  By well rounded I mean well versed in all topics such as, math, science, social sciences, art, music, language arts and anything else that can be offered to them.  I want my students to be able to think for themselves.  I don't want them to learn by rote or to learn because I gave them the correct answers.  I'm going to encourage them to participate in small class discussions, I will teach to their needs.  I may have a group of kids who are tactile learners and set up a project that will teach to their style, whereas another group may need more of a legislative approach to a project, thought or idea.  There are many types of styles of learning and I know I will not be able to meet each child's style every minute of every day, but through reflective practice I will be able to coordinate different projects, goals or activities that touch on the different styles over the course of a term or a school year. I don't yet know the details of these activities, but I'm leaning in the direction of making learning fun and interesting.   My goal is to get my students excited about learning. 
      I was an EA for a self contained ED class at a middle school this past year.  I worked with a teacher who is 5 yrs away from retirement and is completely burned out.  Without going off of the topic I will say this: I learned more of what not to do then what to do to become an effective teacher.  The children did not want to think or learn, they wanted the answers and it was a direct reflection on how they had been taught by this teacher.  Realize, for some of these children it was their second and third year with this particular teacher.  The classroom community had a very real 'working school' approach.  Nothing was ever put on the board or explained.  They were never given the opportunity to think critically.Every day, every lesson was read to them and they were told to do the work at the end of the chapters.  If they needed help, nothing was EVER explained to them and the answer would be provided.  I mention my experience because it taught me a lot of what doesn't line up with my approach and philosophy of teaching.  It was sad because there were times I would be left to teach the class and I would ask them questions to get them thinking and I actually had a student say "Miss, Mister doesn't ask us these questions and we don't want to think about them.  Just read the chapter and give us the answers."  The children who had been in that class for 2 and 3 years refused to learn.  So I can justify my goals and methods by seeing another approach that I feel, doesn't work.  What I always appreciated and found fun about learning was when my teachers encouraged classroom participation.        
       In teaching children from different socieconomical, multicultural backgrounds I believe that every child is capable of learning.  I will never give up on a child.  As I've stated already, I believe every child has the right to an equal education within the public school system(of course private schools are a different matter.)  I have a couple of ideas of what style to approach if I have children who are at different academic levels.   I may divide the coursework until I have them all at the same level.  I may give the advanced kids more difficult material while I am working with the less advanced children.  That would keep everyone engaged while I bring the less advanced children  to a higher academic level.  Another approach I may take is to have class projects split into different groups where the advanced and less advanced are working with each other.  I often find this helps the less advanced children learn the material since it's peer based and it gives the more advanced children a sense of confidence that they are helping their classmates.  Those are just some ideas and I hope to learn more through the ATL program. 

Purposes of Education in our society?

The main role, I would say, that education should play in our society is to evolve as a society and culture.  Generally speaking, the more educated a society the more a society benefits. Education helps us to build a better community.  Because we have built upon the knowledge of people before us we have public roads, parks and libraries. We've explored our galaxy and space with an understanding that wasn't even thought possible 30 years ago.  Countries situated in the ring of fire are able to locate with exact precision the epi- center of an earthquake and alert their people in enough time so they can save their lives. We have made medical advancements in the last 100 years so doctor's are able to treat and cure illnesses that would have been fatal.  I'm not trying to veer of course with a topic of why education is important, but I am trying to tie in the importance education has had on our society and this advance is the role of education. We have advanced in almost all areas of knowledge and that is because our society as a whole continues to educate themselves.  There are thousands of neighborhoods in the United States, almost every American town or city has one, graduation rates have declined, poverty is abundant and the crime rate is high.  I don't believe that every person who has been uneducated is going to become a criminal, nor do I believe that educated people are exempt from a life of crime.  What I am saying is that the majority of well educated people do not end up in a life of crime and poverty.  So, I believe the main role of education is to advance as a society and better ourselves and build upon the previous generations' knowledge. 
       You can see how my beliefs align with the societal function of education and my values line up pretty closely to that as well.  I am one of the first in my family to have received a college education.  I valued education because it was instilled in me at a very early age that I could grow up to be anything I wanted to be as long as I received a college education.  I believed my parents when they told me this and so far they haven't been wrong.  Every career path I've taken since receiving my BFA has been possible because I had a college degree. Since I value education, I saw it play a vital role in my life, I believe it is also vital for the foundation we lay for future generations. 
      I've talked a lot about the societal aspect of education and now I'd like to discuss the individual aspects.  My role as a teacher in this system will be to teach to the highest standard so that each child can and will have the right and opportunity to achieve their dreams, goals and aspirations.  The role of the student will be learn from what I have to teach.
     My philosophy incorporates students from ALL cultures because I believe every child is capable of learning as long as it is done in a nurturing and loving environment.  They may not all learn at the same rate but eventually, they will all achieve the same level.  My goal as a teacher will be to give each child the ability to think for themselves in a safe, non-threatening environment.  Of course I will have to 'teach to the test' if standardized testing is still in place, but ultimately I would like each of my students to be able to think critically for I believe that is the pinnacle od educational achievement.  Not learning by rote or memory, but being able to understand the world with a critical mind.